The Redemption by Tawny Chatmon

American photographer, Tawny Chatmon, is taking on the prejudice against Black hair and culture through her The Redemption series. This beautiful collection features vintage-style photographs of girls and boys, adorned with beautiful African hairstyles. Some are simple, some are elaborate, but all have been criticized at one point or the other in schools and workplaces for not ‘meeting regulations’.

Chatmon challenges this perspective head-on. Feature children with braids, locs, bantu knots, plaits, and afros adorned with beads, the series celebrates Black hair unapologetically, even while acknowledging the pain that this prejudice causes (as seen in a photograph of a boy with tears in his eyes).

Each piece is more than just a two-dimensional image though. Chatmon embellishes the portraits with an explosion of gold leafs, watercolor, ink and other mixed media to show how regal and princely embracing culture can be. This elevates each child in the portraits and gives them the confidence to, themselves, also tackle this prejudice.

See some of the works from the series below.

See more from Tawny Chatmon here